TNAG-0230-FCO40-266-Conditions-of-employment-of-labour-force-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 131

YPPER/CAT A

IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TLEGRAM NUMBER 164

CONFIDENTIAL

TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

.12 MARCH 1970.

21

CANFIDENTIAL

YOUR TELEGRAM 137: NIGHT WORK FOR WOMEN.

INFORMATION REQUESTED IS AS FOLLOWS.

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51

131

4KK5/3

A) ON THE NIGHT OF 28 FEBRUARY 1970 389 WOMEN SUPERVISORS WERE

ACTUALLY EMPLOYED IN 35 FACTORIES. ALTOGETHER 927 SUPERVISORS ·

HAVE BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR NIGHT WORK IN THESE 35 FACTORIES TO ALLOW

FOR ROTATION, STATUTORY REST DAYS, PREGNANCY, SICKNESS, AND

ABSENTEEISM.

(B) TWELVE APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED, EIGHT BEFORE 1ST

MARCH AND FOUR SUBSEQUENTLY. NONE HAS BEEN GRANTED.

TWELVE

ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION. ALL APPEAR LIKELY TO SATISFY THE

CONDITIONS IMPOSED AND TO BE APPROVED SUBJECT TO INSPECTIONS

AND THE NECESSARY FORMALITIES BEING COMPLETED SATISFACTORILY.

(C) APPROXIMATELY 1,400 EMPLOYEES ARE INVOLVED IN THE TWELVE

APPLICATIONS.

D) WINE APPLICATIONS RELATE TO TEXTILE FACTORIES AND THREE

TO ELECTRONICS FACTORIES, THE NINE TEXTILE FACTORIES PROPOSE

TO EMPLOY ABOUT 1,080 AT NIGHT, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF WOMEN

EMPLOYEES IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IS AT PRESENT 114,181.

THE PERCENTAGE TO BE EMPLOYED AT NIGHT AS A RESULT OF THESE

APPLICATIONS IS THEREFORE ABOUT 9.9% (R) 0.9% OF ALL WOMEN

EMPLOYEES IN THE INDUSTRY.

SIR D. TRENCH

FILBO

H.K.D.

MR. WILFORD

O.L.A.

COPIES TO:

4 COPIES U.N.D.

CONFIDENTIAL